Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) yesterday announced his bid for next year’s presidential election, asking people to give him four years to “let Taiwan shine on the global stage.”
At a news conference on the roof of the Taipei International Convention Center, Wang was greeted by hundreds of supporters, despite the rain.
“I have stepped forward to unite all walks of life to once again demonstrate the robustness of Taiwan’s spirit. I shall boost Taiwan’s global visibility and lead it to the world,” said Wang, who served as leislative speaker for 17 years.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
At a time when the US president questions what their nation has gained by “splurging money to defend Taiwan” and when China continues to reiterate that Taiwan is an integral part of its territory, it is critical to take a stand, and defend the nation’s sovereignty and pursue growth, he said.
“Instead, we have engaged in bickering, confrontation and stalling, sending the nation on a downward spiral,” he said.
Citing the nation’s achievements as the world’s leading supplier of information and communications components, Wang said the nation should unite in telling the world that Taiwan is an indispensable member of the international community.
Hailing Taiwan as “a nation exporting love,” he said love is how the nation has cemented its reputation and would navigate the world, for “mercy has no enemy.”
This philosophy can also be applied to the nation’s relationship with China, as the sons and daughters of the zhonghua minzu (ethnic Chinese, 中華民族) have the same roots, he said.
Taiwan is the future hope of the zhonghua minzu, he said.
Quoting former US president John F. Kennedy’s 1961 UN speech, he said: “Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind.”
“The two sides of the Taiwan Strait must end war, or it will end the ‘mainland’ and Taiwan,” he said.
“If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner. The aphorism shows the way for the future of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait” he said, quoting former South African president Nelson Mandela.
With Taiwan’s great potential and resilience, it can aspire to become a great nation, but inaction and “faulty policies” — such as the “one fixed day off, one flexible rest day” labor policy and pension reforms — have hindered the nation’s development and caused people to lose faith in the government, he said.
Therefore, he would put forward his own platform, which he hoped would spark discussion and ultimately align their view of the public, thereby helping society achieve harmony so that Taiwan could become a strong and proud nation, he said.
The shared vision of Taiwanese is to allow their values and contributions to be recognized by the international community, he said, asking people to “give him four years” to realize that vision.
“Beautiful and virtuous Taiwan is just like an aircraft carrier sailing on the Pacific Ocean. I, an experienced and resolved captain, shall guide Taiwan toward a promising future,” he said.
Wang’s news conference was attended by 17 KMT lawmakers, former Examination Yuan president Hsu Shui-teh (許水德), former minister of the interior Lee Hung-yuan (李鴻源) and former Miaoli County commissioner Liu Cheng-hung (劉政鴻).
Additional reporting by CNA
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